City life thrives at night

NEW research into night-time economies across the country is hoped to assist in financial recovery after the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Measuring the Australian Night Time Economy report showed the number of establishments contributing to the night time economy increased by 5.5 per cent in the year ending in June 2020.

“It’s been really positive to see Hobart grow this part of the economy in the last 10 years,” Hobart Lord Mayor Anna Reynolds said.

“The night-time economy is clearly an important part of our character and employment.

“The goal of the research is for capital cities to demonstrate CBDs are where a lot of night time businesses will do well.”

The data does not show how Tasmania has fared towards the end of the pandemic, and Ms Reynolds predicted those figures would show a decline.

But she said the data showed Hobart’s night-time economy was doing well before the pandemic.

“It was growing quite dramatically,” she said.

“Many people would know there was such a big change in the number of night time venues. The number of businesses was at an all-time high.”

Ms Reynolds said the report showed the night economy was thriving in many areas of Hobart.

“Places are popping up in a range of places around the city, there’s been growth on the waterfront, growth in the city, Midtown has really popped out in the last five years,” she said.

“There’s been growth in North Hobart and places like Sandy Bay ... that’s really encouraging [that] this sector of the economy is popping up in every neighbourhood.”

The report said the state experienced a 10 per cent decline in night-time economy employment in the 2019-20 period, but that since then, food and accommodation services had grown faster than the national average.